Brief
Vincent Callebaut has unveiled his contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai. Named Green Arch, it has been created to promote a more sustainable future and is also designed to provide visitors some respite from the punishing Dubai Sun.
Insight
Expo 2020 Dubai has produced superb pavilions from firms like Foster + Partners and Carlo Ratti Associatti. Vincent Callebaut has now unveiled his own contribution and it’s a timely opportunity to see some of the forward-thinking architect’s ideas on sustainability realized. Named Green Arch, it has been created to promote a greener future and is designed to provide visitors with some respite from the punishing Dubai sun.
Green Arch was created in collaboration with Assar Architects and is the official Belgian entry for the expo. The pavilion’s overall form has been specifically designed to create a spacious sheltered area for passersby to seek shade and it features over 2,500 plants, shrubs and trees on its exterior. The immediate area surrounding the pavilion also features a series of 3D-printed concrete additions, including seating and planters.
The interior measures 4,823 sq m (roughly 51,000 sq ft) and consists of a restaurant with popular Belgian foods like French fries, waffles, and chocolate, as well as exhibits depicting a sustainable Belgian landscape in 2050. Elsewhere, there’s an escalator that’s been decorated to resemble a “space-time tunnel,” plus comic strips imagining a green future and discussing ways this vision could be realized. There’s also an immersive video display and other related exhibit areas.
Structurally, the Green Arch has been largely constructed from CLT (cross-laminated timber), and is likened to a bridge by Callebaut. The wooden louvers on its exterior are used for shading, while solar panel arrays produce both electricity and hot water. The building has also been positioned to promote natural ventilation.
“Located in the ‘Mobility District,’ the architectural concept of the Belgian pavilion is to offer visitors the largest shaded and naturally ventilated agora in the axis of the prevailing west-east winds of Dubai,” explains Callebaut.
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